Help our community through the United Way

As I finish up the year as president of the St. Joseph County United Way and my fourth year serving on its board of directors, I’m writing both to inform you and to ask for your support.

Your St. Joseph County United Way is a few short weeks away from the end of our 2013 campaign which officially concludes the end of January 2013. We have set an aggressive goal of raising $715,000, an all-time record campaign, and with your help we will exceed this goal.

In this season of giving and helping others it is important to remember that each of the 65,000 people in our county have likely been touched or have a friend or relative that has been served by one of over 40 agencies supported by your local United Way. Be it youth programs like many of our local camps and recreation programs or emergencies all families have from time to time that are served by our various food banks, Victims Services or the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services or Keystone Place homeless shelter or support for our elderly through senior centers or Hospice, your donation to United Way is making a huge difference to the quality of life in St. Joseph County. Like many communities in Michigan, our need is great!

Donating to help your community through United Way also has many benefits;

2. The United Way Board carefully analyzes each agency to review its leadership, financial stability and impact to the community. With so many giving opportunities, it’s good to know that the organizations we support are providing the services we need!

3. Your St. Joseph County United Way also has the ability to provide immediate support when unforeseen needs develop in the community.

4. You can designate your donation to specific agencies if you prefer to direct your dollars to a specific organization.

We are very fortunate in our county to have Kelly Hostetler, our executive director who cares so much about our community and is a tireless representative to the citizens who need us most. She and her team are the best in the business. We are also fortunate to have an outstanding board of directors who understand our mission and keep us focused on one mission….to make our community a little bit better place to live. Our board is talented, unique and diverse with 24 dedicated members representing virtually every community and business sector in our county and you can be sure that the money you give is directed to meet our mission. Finally, a successful fund raising year does not happen without the significant contributions from volunteers in the community and we have been very honored to have the leadership of Rick and Sara Daniels as our honorary campaign chairs this year. Thank you so much Rick and Sara for all you do to make our community a great place to live.

Page 2 of 2 - In addition to a very aggressive fundraising goal, we have also established a goal to begin to develop an endowment fund that will assure the long-term sustainability of your United Way. Regrettably, only about 5 percent of our 65,000 residents elect to give to United Way. Perhaps the information in this letter will answer questions and motivate you to support your community through United Way. If you are worried that your donation may be too small to make a difference, please know that it is the collective work of 65,000 people that can make a difference and even the smallest of donations, when combined with others can go a very long way.

Giving is the easy part; you can donate via credit card by visiting our web site at sjcuf.com or you can mail your contribution to St. Joseph County United Way, PO Box 577, Centreville, MI 49032 or simply stop by our office in Centreville (in the Plaza just west of the old Village Market). Please consider also designating a portion of your donation to our endowment fund (you must designate this with your contribution).

My wife, Harriett and I were raised in this community and like many of you, we recognize the help we got from others along the way…we think St. Joseph County is one of the best places in the world to live and raise a family and we hope you will join us in assuring we can provide the same experience to our fellow citizens and maybe even attract a few new ones. It has been an honor to represent you on the board and my privilege to serve as its president this year. In this special season and in this special time, please consider helping your community by donating what you can to United Way today, not tomorrow….your community needs you!